Your Complete Guide to Art Licensing Agencies
Thinking about partnering with an art licensing agency? You’re not alone! This is one of the questions I get most often from artists building a surface design business.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through what agencies do, who they’re right for, and how to start researching the best fit for your work.
Quick note: This post shares the big picture and practical starter tips. Inside The Art of Collections, we go deeper with my full swipe files, agency prep checklist, and even a live Q&A recording with my agents at Jewel Branding!
Do you need an agency to succeed?
Short answer? No. 😄
Plenty of artists (me included) land great clients and licensing collabs all on their own. I licensed my work, grew my business, and even worked with Target, Urban Outfitters, and ModCloth for years before I ever signed with an agency.
A few years into my licensing career, I decided to seek out an agency since I wanted the ability to pass off some of the admin work, like contracts and outreach. I always want to make my business work for my lifestyle, not the other way around. And that’s what led me to agency representation after a few years doing it all on my own!
What an art licensing agency actually does
Every agency is a little different, but generally they will:
Pitch & promote your portfolio to manufacturers and retailers.
Meet clients (including at trade shows) and share your work.
Negotiate deals and manage client relationships.
Track contracts (territories, categories, exclusivity, terms).
Advise on market fit so that your work has a higher chance of getting picked up (sharing trend reports, giving portfolio feedback, brand positioning, etc.).
What you’ll still do as the artist
Create new artwork and keep your portfolio updated.
Maintain your brand book and submit what’s needed on time.
Communicate with your agents and meet agreed-upon deadlines for deliverables.
How agencies get paid
Most agencies earn a percentage of your royalties from deals they secure and manage. Commonly 30–50%. Some may also charge shared fees (i.e. trade show costs) depending on their model. Before signing, run the numbers and make sure the trade-off makes sense for your goals and volume
Finding the right agency for you
There are all kinds of agencies in all kinds of categories, so it’s really important to do your research ahead of time to find ones that are a good fit for your art before just blindly pitching to every agency you can find.
Some agencies specialize in stationery, some are more focused on home goods, some cover a broader product range. No matter what, you want to make sure you’re reaching out to agencies that specialize in art licensing if that’s your goal.
The key is to evaluate your portfolio and your goals, and look for agencies that align with the kinds of products and companies you want to work with.
It’s also important to look at the other artists an agency represents to get a good sense of the style of artwork they want to see. If your style is more moody and dark, and you pitch to an agency with a roster of colorful clients who cater to kids’ products, you may get a rejection simply because you’re not the right fit.
Just like when pitching to clients directly, it makes a huge difference for agencies to see that you’ve done a little research and put some thought into how you would fit together. Plus, it makes you more likely to get a “yes!”
Designing Agency-Ready Artwork
This section is based on the real-life feedback I’ve gotten from my agents about what they want to see from artists.
At the end of the day, we’re all trying to sell products. An art licensing agent will want to see a well-rounded portfolio filled with artwork that companies are looking to license.
Here are some tips for how to create a portfolio that agencies want to see!
High-Quality Artwork
The first thing you need to have is high-quality artwork. It should be well designed, current, and showcase who you are as an artist. This is the first deciding factor when an agent is looking through their artist submissions. Can you make great, eye-catching art?
Marketable Motifs and Collections
The next factor is to make sure that your art isn’t just good, but that it is marketable. The agency’s job is to get your work purchased by retailers, and retailers want art that their customers are going to buy. That means that your work needs to follow current trends. It also means that you need to showcase a range of designs in the categories that get licensed most often.
By far, the biggest category in licensing is seasonal art. Think Christmas, Halloween, and other big seasonal moments throughout the year. Agencies want to see that you can design for these specific needs, so make sure to include a few seasonal collections in your portfolio.
Presenting Yourself Well
When pitching to an agency, you want to make sure that your art is well-organized and cohesive. This is why I am a big proponent of designing in collections! (Check out this resource for my mini-collection tips + a template for showcasing your portfolio!)
A Unique Style to What They Already Represent
Agencies can’t represent multiple artists who have a very similar look. It would mean that they’d be competing against themselves. A lot of times, when your art gets passed over by an agency, it’s not necessarily because it’s bad. They just may already have another artist similar to you on their roster.
Make sure that your unique point of view shines through!
So, when does an agency make sense?
It’s important to weigh all of the factors we’ve discussed in this post to decide whether an agency is the right fit for you.
Here are a couple signs it might be a good fit to reach out to an agency.
You have a solid portfolio filled with the types of collections and artwork agencies want to see.
You’ve done your research to find an agency that is a good fit for your artwork.
You’re ok with bringing on a partner with a revenue-sharing agreement (sometimes agencies take up to 50% in royalties).
You want proactive pitching and trade-show presence without running it yourself.
You’d love help negotiating, tracking contracts, and keeping exclusivity clean and organized.
You’re ready to scale and diversify while focusing more on making art.
If you prefer total control, want to retain all of the royalty income that comes in, enjoy pitching, or are early in building your portfolio, staying independent can be perfect.
I hope this helped clear some things up about working with agencies!
Want to go deeper?
This is just one of the many business topics I cover in-depth in my program, The Art of Collections. This is an all-encompassing mentorship program that will teach you how to design standout collections and get your work licensed. Many of my students have signed with agencies, scored licensing deals, and had their work featured in publications.
Click here to get on the waitlist!
And if you want the next step to take towards your licensing goals in the meantime, check out my Ultimate Pitching Guide for art licensing!
